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Devon sighed and nodded. "I'm sure, Sebastian," she repeated herself firmly.
Crying from another room reached her ears, and she glanced over at the door. "That's Layla… I'm going to go get her. I'll just be right back."
He gave a nod, watching her go. Sagging against the wall, he let out a sigh.
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Her mind was toying with her. She needed to get herself under control. If she continued to think about him like this, it would bring nothing but heartache, surely.
She stepped into Layla's bedroom with a small smile. The little girl greeted her happily, all traces of crying gone once she saw her mother.
"Hey, baby… How was your nap, huh?" Devon asked softly as she picked her daughter up. She kissed the toddler on the nose, gaining a giggle.
"Bahstin?" Layla asked, reaching for the door.
"Bahstin is in the hall. Should we go see him?"
Layla giggled and bubbled a "yes," nodding enthusiastically. Devon grinned at her and stepped back out into the hall.
"She was already asking for you," Devon said with a small smile, nodding toward the girl being balanced on her hip as she made her way toward Sebastian.
“Aww…” The smile came naturally, this time, as he pushed himself off the wall to greet her. Pushing away all thoughts of what had just happened, he bent over so that he was eye to eye with the baby, not realizing how close he was to Devon. “Hey, baby. Good sleep?”
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Devon blinked at his proximity, a blush deciding to creep up her neck and face again. Her eyes flitted over his suddenly close features, and she chewed on her lip absentmindedly.
Layla was oblivious to her mother's plight, however, and simply giggled. She reached out and booped Sebastian's nose. "Uh-huh!"
Sebastian too, was oblivious, completely distracted by the baby girl before him. “Mm, you were a good girl for mommy, right?”
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"Yes!" Layla exclaimed confidently, grinning her little girl grin.
Devon glanced away from his face. Stop doing this to yourself…
“And I owe you a prize, remember? A ride on my shoulders?” Sebastian straightened, looking to Devon to check that it was okay with her— and froze. “Devon? What happened? Are you okay?”
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Devon blinked and looked back over at him, her blush deepening ever-so-slightly at the renewed closeness. "Oh. It's nothing. I'm fine. I think Layla would love a ride now, if you'd like to give her one," she said, smiling a bit.
Red began to seep up the back of his neck, coating his face the moment he saw her matching blush. “O-Okay.” He reached forward to take the little girl into his arms, trying for another smile.
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Devon mirrored his small smile and handed over a very excited Layla. The girl giggled and reached for him, babbling his name.
Sebastian focused completely on Layla— or, tried to— swinging her up onto his shoulders.
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Layla squealed happily and patted his head. "Ride ride ride!"
Devon watched her daughter with that same small smile still on her lips. She couldn't help but glancing at Sebastian a few times, though, and mentally berated herself for doing so.
Sebastian forced himself to turn away from Devon, mentally slapping himself over and over again. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, starting off down the hallway with Layla balanced on his shoulders.
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Layla laughed happily. "Bahstin!" she giggled, grabbing onto his hair with a tight grip as he started walking.
Sebastian let out a chuckle, holding onto her legs lest she leaned out too far. “Having fun?”
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"Fun! Fun! Yes, fun!" Layla declared, totally happy about her ride.
Sebastian reached up to take hold of her, lifting her up and swinging her down. He held her out in front of him, grinning.
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Layla giggled again and reached her hands up. "More! More ride!" she demanded with a grin.
“More ride?” He threw a glance back to her mother, somehow keeping the smile on his face. “She sure is demanding, huh?”
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"She's very demanding," Devon said, managing a soft chuckle from her spot at the entry to the hallway. "I told you she was stubborn, too, so good luck telling her no."
Groaning theatrically, he turned back to the tiny child. “One more ride?”
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Layla's eyes lit up, and she reached tiny hands up towards him again. "Ride! More ride!" she giggled.
“Fine, but only one more, ‘kay?” He plopped her back onto his shoulders, grinning.
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Layla squealed excitedly again, resuming her tight grip on Sebastian's hair. Devon grimaced a bit at the sight, hoping that it didn't hurt.
“Gah—“ Sebastian grimaced, bouncing up and down again. “Ouch.”
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"Sorry. She has a very strong grip," Devon said as she stepped closer to his side. She reached up to pry her daughter's fingers open gently, having to stand on her toes to do so. So focused on her daughter, she didn't notice how close she was to Sebastian. "Be gentle, Layla. Don't pull hair, okay?"
Heart skipping several beats, he swallowed and looked away, trying and failing to reign in his wild thoughts. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”
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"She still needs to learn to be gentle," Devon said when she had gotten her daughter to loosen her grip. She glanced down at Sebastian and blushed again as she took a step back. "Sorry…"
A mask of neutrality came crashing down on his face. "For what?" Sebastian even went so far as to tilt his head in a perplexed manner, promptly ignoring his traitorous, thumping heart.
